Silk
by Eirii Akabara
Summary: OneShot. Rin's innocent inquiries never fails to teach Sesshomaru something about himself that he never realized before. She was just a child who knew nothing of how dark and evil the world can be, and he was the very face of darkness itself. And yet she was able to save his heart, without even trying. Father/daughter scenario.


A small crunching of leaves left the dog demon wide awake. It was the middle of the night-and the pale, round moon shone brightly against the pitch black sky. The stars were in abundance; there were no clouds that hindered them from view. Turning his head to the side, he could see clearly the small figure of Jaken as he cuddled himself by the two-headed beast's feet, deep asleep. A pile of bundled up belongings rested on his side, his staff resting awkwardly against the body of their slumbering demon pet. Lord Sesshomaru blinked. There was something wrong with this picture.

Another crunching of leaves sounded through the silent air. Swiftly, his head turned to the direction of the sound. A small figure emerged from the darkness, walking in small steps towards the white-clad demon lord.

_Ah. There she is._

Her hair was frizzy and out of place-a clear sign that she had just woken up. But then again, her hair had always been messy. Her small hand was wrapped in a small fist as she rubbed her drowsy-looking eyes with it, her lips slightly parted from a small yawn. Lord Sesshomaru's eyes watched the girl in silent interest. He would never, after all, admit his piqued curiosity over the young child's little actions. His golden eyes lifted itself to look at her mud-streaked face, only to see her own small, brown eyes looking back at him, her expression visibly lifting from drowsiness to excitement.

"Sesshomaru-sama!"

His face held no expression as the small girl sprinted to him, stopping abruptly at his feet, before taking a seat right in front of him. Her expression was joyful and curious as she scanned his figure in slow fascination. Unconsciously, he adjusted his seat, trying to lean comfortably against the rough trunk of the tree against which he was resting. As he tried to position himself in a better sitting position, he felt a slight tug against his white sleeves, only to find Rin holding the cloth between her small hands, her face twisted in a child's imitation of a "_thinking face_".

"What is it?"

His voice was cold, uncaring. But the child didn't seem to notice. Or perhaps, she didn't really mind.

"This cloth is soft.. Is it silk, Sesshomaru-sama?"

It was an odd question to be asked by a child, the demon lord couldn't help but be curious himself. He watched the child in a few seconds of silence, before giving her his response.

"Yes."

The look on her face didn't change. It was obvious to him the answer wasn't a satisfactory-or perhaps, led to deeper inquiries. Her small hands released the fabric gently, before turning her attention to him fully.

"Don't only rich people wear silk? Mama used to say silk is very expensive, and poor people can never afford it."

He blinked, pondering on the thought for a moment. Perhaps it was true-but he couldn't tell for sure. Sesshomaru never had much contact with humans to learn their definition of wealth and riches, and demons never really did value material possessions such as money. For them, it was always power, _and_ _only _power. Gold, money, and other material possessions didn't hold as much value to them.

"Perhaps."

He could only hope it would be a satisfying-enough response. There was not much he could say on the topic, and explaining the demon world's priorities to a child her age would be but a waste of time. Mature and caring enough as she is for a human her age, he wouldn't expect her to understand a demon's mentality-which is, of course, a dark, dark place, innocence like hers would never be able to comprehend.

She looked-_fearlessly_-into his eyes, looking past his own cold stare, as if she was trying to see if he had anything left to say. Once more, he wondered what of him she sees that makes her stay. He is, after all, the very face of murder. And yet, she could do so much as look him straight in the eyes, when other demons and humans shake at the mere aura of his presence. He would have asked her, but the weight of curiosity regarding their current conversation weighed more in his mind than the curiosity of his question.

The few moments of silence finally broke as a the little girl tipped her head slightly sideways as she asked yet another question, "Does that mean Sesshomaru-sama is rich?"

Another blink forced itself to his eyes. _Rich?_

True, he _is_ a lord. And he governs lands in which both humans and demon resides, but what does she mean by "_rich_"? She holds such innocent inquiries, and yet she never failed to make him think. His mind ran through the past few minutes of their conversation. Rich, in human definition, meant wealthy enough to afford luxurious belongings. Having money, gold, silver, and owning land. In that case, he should be considered rich as well, for he owns lands, armies, a castle, gold and silver, and other things deemed as luxury in the human mind.

"Yes."

His response made her grin cheerfully at him. She seemed satisfied enough with his response. But of course, she didn't let on enough for him to figure out the root of all the curious questions. His own interest in their little discussion didn't feed his curiosity as much as it did hers. His brow furrowed slightly, his expression hardly letting on his very own dissatisfaction. He could see the Rin attempting to stand up to return to her previous seat beside _Ah-Un_, and so he spoke before she could leave, "Why the sudden questioning on such trivial things?"

The smile that was on her lips before, simply grew wider, if it was even still possible. The sound of her voice as she responded had a certain sound to it that stayed in his mind, long after their conversation was over. But what he couldn't forget the most was her answer. He had heard a lot of things in his lifetime, and so many things have been told to him and about him in his over 300 years of living, but never did he ever hear someone say perceive him the way she sees him in her small, innocent eyes.

"If Sesshomaru-sama is rich, that means he wasn't like Rin when he was younger. Rin always have to do a lot of things so she will have something to eat, and Rin never had a doll like those rich kids have to play with. If Sesshomaru-sama is rich, that means he lived comfortably-which is a good thing. Because someone nice and kind like Sesshomaru-sama should always be blessed with good things."

And with that, she stood up and ran back to now-wakening _Ah-Un_, patting the huge beast softly as she curled up beside it, waiting to drift back to sleep.

For the what seemed to be the longest time, Sesshomaru sat still, watching little Rin as she fell back to sleep. In her eyes, he was kind and nice, a description of him he had never heard anyone convey him as before. But then again, she had always been different. She stayed and followed him when everyone else left in fear. She smiled in his presence when everyone else cried and cowered. And she had always ran _to_ him when she's scared, when everyone else was running _from_ him.

Sesshomaru never really did believe in fate. Those were things only humans would risk their lives believing-following an invisible path in an attempt to find their "_destiny_". It was all so stupid. But maybe perhaps, him meeting Rin was a work of fate itself. Perhaps he needed to meet someone who would see a side of him that even he didn't know exists. Perhaps she was the breath of fresh-air life is giving him to start anew. Perhaps, she was_ fate's_ way of setting him on a different path.

It was, perhaps, hours later when he decided to get up. Pushing himself up against the cold ground, he stood still for a short moment, letting the soft rush of air blow against his long, silver locks-letting them sway ever so gently against the chilly night breeze. With small, silent steps, he drew closer to the sleeping bunch-the now-snoring Jaken, the half-asleep _Ah-Un_, and the peacefully sleeping Rin. As he reached their spot, a few feet away from where he was before, he looked around cautiously as to make sure no one was around. Judging the surrounding areas clear, he knelt down on one knee (ignoring his own gritting hesitation) in front of the small girl, his pale, clawed hands reaching out to touch her face. His delicate fingers swept away the black strands of long hair that covered her small face, golden-hued eyes watching her carefully, like a parent would watch a precious child.

And then, before he even realized it, he had leaned down and pressed his thin, cold lips against the slumbering child's warm forehead, leaving a small, fatherly kiss before he got up and walked away into the darkness to patrol the surrounding areas for possibly dangerous demons, ignoring the fast thumping of his own heart.

He knew at that moment... The great Lord Sesshomaru has been tamed by a little human child.


End file.
